Family: On to LA
by victoriamartynne
Summary: Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale, Family: Forward to LA and Family: Return to Sunnydale. The Scoobies visit LA and a haunted house.
1. Chapter One

Title: Family: On to LA  
  
Author: victoriamartynne  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
  
Spoilers: None, I think!  
  
Summary: Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale, Family: Forward to LA and Family: Return to Sunnydale. The Scoobies visit LA and a haunted house.  
  
"You have got to be kidding me." Cordelia murmured and sat down on the couch next to an also shocked looking Angel. "A week?"  
  
Fred nodded solemnly. "I'm so sorry, I agreed before she told me the conditions. And I mean, it is for the greater good."  
  
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "How is being celibate for a week for the greater good?"  
  
Fred pulled a face. "You'll be helping my aunt and uncle but that is one of their conditions, we all have separate bedrooms."  
  
Fred had dropped a bombshell on them. Her aunt had called and told her they'd bought a hotel in LA, so they could be closer to her. The only problem was, it was haunted. They wanted the AI gang to move in for a week to find out why the spirits were there and 'get rid of them humanely'. Apparently Mrs Burkle felt sorry for them. And Fred being so eager to please, had agreed before consulting the gang.  
  
"Do you think it's even possible?" Angel asked Cordelia quietly as Fred went to inform Lorne and Wes of the plan. Gunn had already been told and was taking his frustrations out on his axe, cleaning it furiously.  
  
Cordelia shook her head glumly. "Nope. What about Connor and Ash? Can we take them with us if the hotel is haunted?"  
  
Angel considered the question. "I wouldn't want them to go if it could be dangerous but there's nowhere to leave them, is there?"  
  
An idea popped into Cordelia's head. "Stay here, I've got an idea."  
  
She bolted to Wes's office and picked up the phone.  
  
"When do we leave?" Angel asked Fred as she came back to him with Wes and Lorne.  
  
"In two days." Gunn replied bitterly from the other side of the lobby. "Two nights."  
  
Fred pulled a face at him and spoke to the others. "Ignore him; he's just mad because he can't do things he'd like to."  
  
"Rather too much information there Fred." Wes replied.  
  
"The hotel is just across town and it's rather large apparently, I haven't seen it. My aunt and uncle said that they wanted us to have a room each so it must be quite big. I think they've got guests already." Fred told them. "It's pretty exciting."  
  
"Problem solved." Cordelia interrupted, coming out of the office. "Willow and Tara are going to come to LA and baby sit for us so we don't have to worry about them. And Buffy said she and Spike would come and help with the case."  
  
"Did you tell her about the sleeping arrangements?" Angel asked, suspecting the answer.  
  
"Of course not." She replied. "I'd never get her here. Besides, I want to see Spike's face when he finds out there's no sex for him for a week."  
  
Angel snorted and admitted that it would be a worthwhile moment.  
  
"I can't begin to say how grateful my aunt and uncle will be that you agreed." Fred gushed and went to the phone to call them and let them know.  
  
"I'm glad someone's going to be happy about the arrangement." Gunn muttered under his breath.  
  
The hotel was tall and imposing, rivalling the size of the Hyperion. Why the Burkle's had chosen such a vast project was beyond Cordelia, who knew how much work it took to run the Hyperion as a home and office, never mind a functioning business. From a first glance she could understand how the place could be haunted. It was huge and dark and rather dreary. As they pulled up outside in Angel's car she could see Buffy perched on the hood of Spike's car with him stood in front of her smoking a cigarette.  
  
Cordelia hopped out of the car to greet Buffy. "Good to see you!"  
  
Buffy grinned. "You too! Look at the size of the place! It's huge."  
  
"I know, have you been inside?"  
  
"Hell no, I thought we'd wait for the poof and his merry men." Spike said, finishing his cig and flinging it over his shoulder.  
  
Cordelia pulled a face at him. "Hi Spike."  
  
"Chit." He nodded hello.  
  
"Well." Angel said as everyone else came up behind them. "Are we going in or what?"  
  
Cordelia grabbed her bag off Angel and followed Fred into the hotel. 


	2. Chapter Two

Title: Family: On to LA  
  
Author: victoriamartynne  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
  
Spoilers: None, I think!  
  
Summary: Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale, Family: Forward to LA and Family: Return to Sunnydale. The Scoobies visit LA and a haunted house.  
  
"Fred, baby, it's so good to see you!" Mrs Burkle gushed as she and Mr Burkle came to hug Fred. "You've grown!"  
  
"Aunt Claire, I stopped growing when I was sixteen." Fred objected but hugged her aunt back, pulling her uncle in too. "These are my friends, you've heard my parents talk about them?"  
  
"Of course." Mr Burkle said and went to greet their other guests. "Come on, I'll show you to your rooms."  
  
They all nodded.  
  
Cordelia grabbed Angel's hand as they walked up the stairs. "This place is kind of creepy."  
  
"Think how creepy it will be when you get put in your own room, all on your own and the shadows come out to play." He teased.  
  
She thumped his arm and he noticed how scared she looked.  
  
"I'm sorry baby." He whispered and pulled her closer to him. "It'll be okay."  
  
"I must apologise for our traditions." Mr Burkle interrupted their conversation. "My wife and I believe that men and women should sleep alone until they are married. I understand that you might not live like that in real life but we feel that you should respect our traditions while you're under our room." He finished, sounding stricter that he meant to. "We might seem strict but it's how we've always lived and how we were taught when we were younger."  
  
"Of course sir, we understand completely." Gunn said, at least sounding sincere. "I try to live my life by those rules myself."  
  
"Suck up!" Cordelia hissed in his ear, making him jump.  
  
He was stopped from saying anything as Mrs Burkle began to assign rooms to the girls.  
  
"And of course, you men are in the other wing."  
  
"The other wing?" Spike asked, looking panicked.  
  
"Yes." She replied, unfazed. "Follow me."  
  
"Uh, Mrs Burkle." Angel interrupted. "Cordelia and I are engaged to be married. Would you permit us to share a room?"  
  
"You're not married yet boy, I suggest you keep her pure until you marry her." Mr Burkle dismissed Angel's plan, even though Cordelia held up her left hand to show them her ring. "Do the world good these days, if men didn't jump in the women's beds before they were married."  
  
Buffy hid her laugh behind her hand and then pulled her tongue out at Cordelia when no-one was looking.  
  
The Burkle's waited while the women had entered their rooms before taking the men down the corridor and into the next wing.  
  
Cordelia looked around the room she'd been assigned. It was dark and gloomy and had a very small window that seemed to be refusing to let in any light. Walking towards it the floorboards let out an almighty creak. She jumped, her heart beating erratically.  
  
"Shit." She swore and placed a hand on her chest.  
  
She opened the window and found it would only open a couple of centimetres. Wiping at the dirty glass she saw a brick wall on the other side of the glass. "Great." She muttered.  
  
The ancient phone in the corner suddenly began to wail, startling her into banging her head on the window.  
  
She picked up the receiver. "Hello?"  
  
"What do you think?" Buffy asked.  
  
"There's a friggin' wall on the other side of my window!" She exclaimed. "And the floorboards creak."  
  
Buffy laughed. "Sounds a bit like my room. Do you have a damp patch too?"  
  
"No, I have peeling wallpaper though. What time is dinner?"  
  
"In an hour." Buffy replied, still looking round her room. "Do you think anyone will actually stay here?"  
  
"I doubt it. Does your room smell?" She asked, wrinkling her nose.  
  
"Kind of fusty? I got that too. I wonder what they guy's rooms are like." She mused.  
  
"Probably the same. I'm going to check out the bathroom, see you at dinner."  
  
She hung up the phone and opened the door that must lead to the bathroom. It was a closet. She looked around, there wasn't another door.  
  
She picked up the phone again and dialled Buffy's room number.  
  
"I have no bathroom!" She said as soon as she heard Buffy's voice.  
  
"Me neither." Buffy said, having realised herself once they'd hung up. "You don't think there's a communal one, do you?"  
  
"There'd better not be." Cordelia said firmly. "I am not using a communal bathroom!"  
  
"I'm using a communal bathroom." Cordelia said, shuddering as she placed her toothbrush next to Buffy's and Fred's next to the sink. "And it is disgusting."  
  
There was no shower, a tin bath with rust around the top, a cracked sink and a fragile looking toilet.  
  
"This is disgusting. I hope Fred appreciates this."  
  
Cordelia rapped on Fred's door and looked seriously pissed off when Fred opened it.  
  
"What's wrong Cordy?" She asked, expecting the worst.  
  
"There are cockroaches in the bathroom." She said through her teeth. "I haven't lived with cockroaches since I rented that dingy room when I first came to LA. Get rid of them!"  
  
Fred smiled gently. "Okay, I'll call Uncle Al and get him to get rid of them."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Cordelia trotted back down the hall to her room to get dressed for dinner. After seeing the cockroaches she'd decided to forfeit a shower and just change, rather risking being smelly than having cockroaches round her feet.  
  
She slipped into a floaty white dress and a pair of white thongs and slipped a silk orchid behind her ear. She'd heard that white was supposed to show evil spirits that they meant them no harm so she was going all out. She applied a little blush, mascara and brown lipstick and left her room to get Fred and Buffy.  
  
The other two girls seemed not to know about the white to repel evil spirits theory and had both dressed in black.  
  
"Calmed down yet Cordy?" Fred asked as they walked down the hall.  
  
"What's this?" Buffy asked.  
  
"There are cockroaches in our bathroom."  
  
"Eew! I showered in there!" Buffy exclaimed and shuddered.  
  
"There aren't any more, Uncle Al came and got rid of them for us." Fred promised.  
  
"I hate this place." Cordelia decided.  
  
Seated in the dining room the women felt a lot more relaxed. It was lighter in the spacious room and there was more life than they'd seen in the whole hotel, if you pardoned the cockroaches. There was an elderly couple sat in the corner and a group of middle aged couples, whom they assumed correctly to be guests. Mr and Mrs Burkle, or Claire and Al, as they insisted that they call them, were rustling around with drinks and food and generally seeing if their guests were happy.  
  
They were on their second drink by the time the men came downstairs. Lorne had a trilby pulled low over his eyes but his green skin was clearly visible. Claire explained to the other guests that he was an extra on a new alien film. They seemed to believe her.  
  
"How is your room?" Angel asked Cordelia as he sat down next to her.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Don't get me started."  
  
"That bad?" He smiled, his own room was hardly the Ritz, or even as good as his own room at the Hyperion.  
  
"Do you have your own bathroom?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
She glared at him. "I don't. And I have uninvited guests in the communal one down the hall. Cockroaches!"  
  
He bit back a smile. "I'd say you could use mine but I don't think Big Brother will let you anywhere near our wing, never mind my room."  
  
She pulled a face at him and took a sip of her highly alcoholic drink. "Very funny, I hate this place."  
  
"Ah, you mocked me earlier Barbie, but now you're with me." Gunn pointed out.  
  
"Okay." She admitted defeat just as Claire came to give them menus.  
  
"How did you find your rooms?"  
  
"Absolutely perfect, thank you." Buffy smiled, ignoring the poke Cordelia gave her under the table.  
  
"I'm afraid it's a bit rundown but we're cleaning it up gradually. Of course, our little, uh, problem is hampering our efforts." Claire explained. "I'm sure you'll be able to help us with that though."  
  
She smiled warmly and left them to look through the menus.  
  
"Yeah. As soon as I get something other than a brick wall on the other side of my window and no other living thing it the room while I'm showering." Cordelia said flippantly.  
  
"Oh Cordelia, please, be realistic!" Wes replied in annoyance. "I'm sure you're exaggerating."  
  
Angel squeezed Cordelia's leg under the table.  
  
Cordelia said nothing.  
  
Angel walked Cordelia to her room.  
  
He burst out laughing when he saw it. "It's like a hovel." He admitted.  
  
"What does yours look like"? She demanded.  
  
"A bit lighter, unfortunately. I have two windows with heavy drapes, thankfully. And my own bathroom. But there's one thing that your room has that mine doesn't."  
  
"And what's that?" She asked.  
  
He pulled her to him. "You."  
  
She smiled and leaned into him. "True."  
  
He kissed her just as there was a knock at the door.  
  
They broke apart. "Who is it?" She asked, clamping a hand over his mouth.  
  
"It's me, Claire."  
  
Cordelia pulled a face and shoved him into the closet.  
  
She straightened her hair and opened the door. "Hi."  
  
"Is everything okay for you Cordelia?" Claire asked. "Can I get you anything?"  
  
"Everything is fine, thank you and no, you can't get me anything." Cordelia smiled pleasantly.  
  
"Okay then." Claire smiled back. "I hope you have a good night's sleep and please dispose of your boyfriend before you get into bed."  
  
She smiled and left.  
  
"Fiancé." Cordelia corrected weakly after the woman's back, waving her left hand in the air behind her back.  
  
She shut the door and groaned. "She is trying to kill me."  
  
Angel came out of the closet smiling. "I guess I'd better go."  
  
She nodded. "What room are you in?"  
  
"Two three four. Why?"  
  
"If I get scared in the night I might call." She smiled and he kissed her goodnight.  
  
Cordelia woke when she heard a light tapping on the door. She turned the lamp on and hoped to God it was Angel and not a ghost. But then she reasoned that ghosts probably wouldn't knock.  
  
She opened the door sleepily and saw a wide awake Buffy. "What do you want?" She yawned.  
  
"I was thinking maybe we could sneak across to the other wing." She admitted sheepishly.  
  
Cordelia grinned, suddenly awake. "I like that idea."  
  
She slipped on one of Angel's shirts over the skimpy shorts and vest she was wearing just in case they bumped into anyone. "Let's go."  
  
They crept down the hall arm in arm, sticking to the shadows. "Couldn't you live a night without him?" Cordelia asked. "The sex that good huh?"  
  
Buffy giggled. "You can't possibly imagine."  
  
"How long do you think we've got until we get rumbled?"  
  
"About five minutes probably." Buffy giggled again.  
  
"That all? I've already been caught with Angel in my room once today."  
  
They both burst out laughing and began to run down the hall. 


	3. Chapter Three

Title: Family: On to LA  
  
Author: victoriamartynne  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
  
Spoilers: None, I think!  
  
Summary: Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale, Family: Forward to LA and Family: Return to Sunnydale. The Scoobies visit LA and a haunted house.  
  
Cordelia knocked on Angel's door.  
  
"Housekeeping Mr Angel!" She called out softly through the door in a Spanish-type accent.  
  
He opened the door groggily only to have her fling herself in his arms.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked once he'd closed the door.  
  
"Buffy and I got lonely." She said seductively.  
  
"Where is she then? I was just in the mood for a." He couldn't finish as she planted her mouth on his.  
  
She broke off for air. "Will I do?"  
  
His answer was to slip the shirt off her shoulders and press her against the wall, his desire for her already evident.  
  
"I hate to rush you but we might only have a few minutes." She murmured into his neck as his fingers found their way to her shorts.  
  
His fingers pushed the shorts aside and he plunged inside her in one thrust.  
  
Her back arched in pleasure as he filled her. He silenced he scream he knew was coming by covering her mouth with his as he thrust in and out of her desperately. His fingers wandered to her warmth where he massaged her to an impressive orgasm. A couple of moments later he came with her and let his head drop to her shoulder.  
  
She was gasping and she knew her face was flushed.  
  
"That was good." She whispered.  
  
He nodded. "I agree."  
  
There was a knock at the door.  
  
Cordelia cursed. "I'm telling you, Claire is stalking me."  
  
He shushed her and put her down.  
  
She put her shirt and thongs back on and straightened her hair.  
  
He opened the door, doing his best to look sleepy.  
  
"Angel, I thought I heard voices." Claire said. "Everything okay?"  
  
Cordelia poked her head around the door. "Hi Claire."  
  
"Cordelia." Claire stated sternly.  
  
"I saw a ghost." Cordelia said quickly.  
  
Claire's eyes widened. "You did?"  
  
She nodded. "Angel is the boss of Angel Investigations as well as my fiancé so I thought it would be better if I told him straight away instead of waiting while the morning. He might be able to come up with something."  
  
Claire nodded, looking worried. "Of course, I was just going to the bathroom and I heard voices, I'm sorry I'm afraid I jumped to conclusions. I'm sorry about all the strict rules but Al and I are terribly religious. If sin occurs even by someone else, in our home then we believe it will reflect on us. When the spiritual problems are sorted out the hotel will be for the older generation. A sort of relaxation centre for married couples or single people." Claire seemed to forget it was one in the morning. "So, the ghost?"  
  
"It's okay." Angel reassured her. "Cordelia described it and I've recorded it in our log book. We'll confer in the morning and sort out a plan of action."  
  
Claire broke out in a smile. "Thank you so much." She leaned forward, glancing around. "If it were up to me you could have your own room, what with you being engaged and everything, but Al insists that you're not married yet. I understand the needs you feel and I am sorry. I trust you'll make it back to your room tonight on your own."  
  
She smiled again and said goodnight.  
  
Angel shut the door and Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "What the hell was that?"  
  
Angel grinned. "I thought she was sweet."  
  
"Sweet? She's trying to keep me celibate for a week and that's sweet?"  
  
"She's trying, it's not working."  
  
She opened the door and peered out. "Do you want me to walk you back?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, I have to get Buffy. We'll be fine."  
  
He kissed her gently and she slipped out of the room.  
  
She rapped on Spike's door. "Open up!"  
  
Inside Buffy heard Cordelia's voice and came out to her.  
  
"Did I interrupt anything?"  
  
Buffy shook her head and smiled coyly. "No, we'd already finished."  
  
Cordelia laughed. "We got busted."  
  
Buffy gasped. "You didn't! By who?"  
  
"The mad house woman." Cordelia said dryly.  
  
Buffy spluttered. "Claire? Again? What did you say this time?"  
  
"I told her I saw a ghost."  
  
Buffy burst out laughing. "She didn't believe you?"  
  
"She did." Cordelia insisted, also laughing. "You know, we should have woken Fred, Gunn will be so pissed off that we didn't bring her."  
  
Buffy shrugged. "Too bad."  
  
Cordelia poked her. "Just because you got yours!"  
  
Buffy smirked and opened her door. "Too right!"  
  
"Night Buff'." Cordelia smile and went into her own room.  
  
Cordelia woke late the next day. She opened her eyes and didn't know what time it was. It was still as dark as it was the night before, perhaps due to the brick wall on the other side of her window.  
  
She got out of bed, about to go to the bathroom when she realised that she'd have to go down the hall. "Great." She murmured. "Absolutely perfect."  
  
She grabbed her make up bag, hair brush and soap and headed off down the hall sleepily. She bumped into a more awake looking Fred on her way.  
  
"Please tell me there's no-one in the bathroom."  
  
"It's all yours." She promised. "We're meeting in the lounge when you're ready."  
  
Cordelia nodded and went into the bathroom.  
  
She ran the bath while she was brushing her teeth. The water was tepid and there was hardly any pressure.  
  
She ran the brush through her tangled hair and then climbed into the cool water. "You have got to be kidding me."  
  
She shivered and washed quickly before climbing out of the tin bath. She grabbed a towel and slipped slightly on the tiled floor. She wrapped it around herself and looked in the mirror.  
  
Her blood ran cold as she saw what was in the mirror. Behind her, in the corner of the room was a man, dead. He was hanging from the ceiling by a length of rope, his head hanging at an odd angle. She took a couple of deep breaths and then turned around. He wasn't there.  
  
She turned towards the mirror again and a shiver ran through her body. He was there again. She noticed his smart dinner suit and the expensive watch. His head snapped up and his eyes opened.  
  
She gasped and a scream clogged in her throat, fear overcoming her. His mouth spread into a grin and he raised his arm so he was pointing at her. She turned again to look at the corner, still not there.  
  
She turned towards the mirror again, lowering her eyes almost to hide what she knew she would see. The man was now standing behind her holding his hands around her throat about to strangle her, an evil smile on his face. She screamed and reached for the door handle. She slipped on the wet floor and cracked her head on the tub. With a groan, she shoved herself up off the floor and opened the door successfully. She ran out into the hall and collided with Lorne.  
  
"Princess, what's wrong?"  
  
She threw herself into his arms, crying. "Oh God Lorne, there really are ghosts in this place."  
  
"You saw a ghost?"  
  
She nodded and straightened out of his arms. He noticed the bruise about to appear on her forehead. "Did the ghost do that?"  
  
She shook her head. "I got scared and I slipped on the floor and banged my head on the bath tub. Can you get Angel for me, please?"  
  
He nodded and left her in her room while he went to get Angel. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, the tears that had come so quickly drying on her cheeks.  
  
She paced the room, avoiding looking into the mirror, just in case.  
  
Angel barged straight into the room, Wes hot on his heels.  
  
"What happened?" He asked, taking her into his arms.  
  
"Ghosts. There was one, in the bathroom. I saw him in the mirror but when I looked round he was gone. At first he looked dead; he'd hung himself in the corner. But then he started to move."  
  
"What did he do?" Wes asked.  
  
"He smiled at me, kind of evilly. And then he pointed at me." She explained, shaking. "I turned round again and I didn't see anything and then he was behind me, about to strangle me. It freaked me; I slipped on the tiles and banged my head on the tub."  
  
Angel brushed his fingers over the bump that had formed.  
  
"I'll go check out the bathroom." Wes told them and left.  
  
Angel grabbed hold of Cordelia's hand. "Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
She nodded slowly. "A bit scared but that's all."  
  
"Do you need to go to the hospital for your head?"  
  
She shook her head and then realised she was only wearing the towel.  
  
She got up and got dressed. "I wish I wasn't here on my own."  
  
"You're not stopping on your own." He promised firmly.  
  
"Claire and Al won't let you stop here."  
  
"Then I'll get Buffy or Fred to come and stop in here." He promised and kissed her fingers.  
  
She put her arms around his neck and hugged him.  
  
Wes came back in the room. "There's nothing there. But I've got a book in my room that can perhaps make the ghost reappear or tell us what happened to him. I'm not sure, I'll have to look."  
  
Cordelia nodded. "I don't have to be there do I?"  
  
Wes shook his head. "Of course not."  
  
Angel squeezed Cordelia's hand and they went downstairs. "I'm going to ring Willow, see how Connor and Ashleigh are; I'll meet you in the lounge."  
  
He nodded and left her in the lobby.  
  
When she went into the lounge everyone was already sat there. Willow had assured her that the children were fine and enjoying their lunch as they spoke. She'd hung up feeling reassured.  
  
She sat down next to Angel and felt all eyes on her. "Yes I saw a ghost."  
  
"Are you okay?" Buffy asked.  
  
She nodded and felt her head. "Just a war wound."  
  
"Want a nip?" Spike asked and held out a bottle of whiskey he'd got hidden in his coat.  
  
"Ask me later." She said with a quick smile. "So, who's sleeping with me tonight?" 


	4. Chapter Four

Title: Family: On to LA  
  
Author: victoriamartynne  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
  
Spoilers: None, I think!  
  
Summary: Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale, Family: Forward to LA and Family: Return to Sunnydale. The Scoobies visit LA and a haunted house.  
  
Wes had set assignments for everyone now it was daytime. Angel, Cordelia, Spike and Buffy were to go down in the basement where there were no windows to search for books or papers that said what had happened in the hotel. Deaths, murders, things like that. He and Fred were going to research using the books he'd brought on ghost activity and exorcism. Gunn and Lorne had got the job of searching the attic.  
  
The basement was dark and dingy and had no light, which was handy for Spike and Angel but meant that they had to reply on torch light.  
  
Buffy and Cordelia found a stack of boxes near the doorway so they set about sorting through those while Angel and Spike searched the rest of the vast basement. And as Spike said 'did all the hard work'.  
  
"What did he look like?" Buffy asked, meaning the ghost.  
  
"Well dressed and rich. He had a suit on and a very expensive watch."  
  
"I guess you'd know that." Buffy teased.  
  
Cordelia grinned. "He was hung from the ceiling. His head was flopped to the side and then he came to life. He ended up behind me trying to strangle me."  
  
Buffy shuddered. "Creepy."  
  
"Tell me about it."  
  
In the end they found a book filled with pictures of dead people. It looked like it was from the eighteenth century. The people in it were wearing old clothes and basically just looked old. Some were alone and some were in groups.  
  
"Why on earth people would want to have their photo taken when they were dead is beyond me." Buffy said.  
  
"I don't think they had any say in the matter." Cordelia added.  
  
"Smart ass."  
  
Buffy grabbed Cordelia's arm. "What was that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I heard a noise."  
  
"Well, the guys are up here, maybe it was them." Cordelia suggested but stood up and held out her free hand to Buffy. The other was holding the book. "Come on, we'll go find them."  
  
Still gripping each other's hand they felt slightly foolish when they jumped when every floorboard creaked.  
  
"This place is very creepy." Cordelia said as she brushed a cobweb out of her hair furiously. Her elbow knocked a standing lamp over and she shrieked when if fell onto the floor with a crash.  
  
Buffy didn't reply.  
  
Cordelia turned and saw her gazing at something in the corner. "What have you seen?"  
  
Buffy pointed to the mirror in the corner. From Cordelia's angle she could see nothing in it.  
  
Not again, she thought, as she stepped behind Buffy's shoulder to see what she was seeing.  
  
As suspected there was a figure in it. This time Cordelia didn't bother to turn around.  
  
It was a woman dressed in an old petticoat and apron. Her face was covered in burns and scorches, as if she had been in a fire or had something hot thrown on her.  
  
The woman began moving closer to them in the mirror. Buffy's grip on Cordelia's hand tightened.  
  
"Oh God." Cordelia breathed.  
  
"What's up ladies?" Spike's voice interrupted the silence.  
  
Both women jumped and shrieked. "Jesus Christ Spike!" Cordelia yelled.  
  
"What's wrong?" Angel asked, stepping into view from around Spike's back.  
  
"Angel." Cordelia gasped in relief before turning back to the mirror. She was gone. "There was another one."  
  
"A ghost?" He asked.  
  
Buffy nodded. "A woman, in the mirror over there."  
  
"She's not there now." Spike pointed out.  
  
"I know that, it must have been you with your great." Buffy began but was stopped by Angel.  
  
"Did you find anything?"  
  
Cordelia gave him the book. "You?"  
  
He shook his head and thumbed through the book.  
  
"Okay, then why don't we go downstairs and look through this and find out what everyone else found out." He suggested and put his arm around Cordelia's shoulders. "Come on, let's get out of here."  
  
Everyone once again met up in the lounge.  
  
Buffy and Cordelia had studied the book and pointed out the two ghosts they had seen and now Claire and al were looking through it to identify the ghosts they'd seen.  
  
Wes and Fred had found two exorcisms that could be used. One was humane but needed the background of every ghost being exorcised. The other was a nasty exorcism used to send evil spirits back to hell. The only problem with that one was that they couldn't tell if the ghosts deserved to go to hell or not and Claire was insisting that they really couldn't play God.  
  
Gunn and Lorne hadn't found anything in the attic. It was completely empty but filthy so they'd been the last to arrive having stopped of to shower before they came downstairs.  
  
"So, what now?" Cordelia voiced the question everyone was thinking.  
  
"I have no idea." Wes admitted. "Why don't we all go upstairs, rest for a while and then come down for dinner. Perhaps we can do some exploring tonight?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan." Gunn agreed.  
  
Angel flopped on Cordelia's bed while she put on something more comfortable. When she was throwing clothes on this morning she hadn't realised she'd put on something that wasn't comfortable. More at home in a pair of jeans and a sweater she flopped down next to him.  
  
"I missed you last night." She told him.  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
"Do you think Claire and Al will let you sleep here tonight?" She mused and snuggled into the crook of his arm.  
  
He snorted. "No."  
  
She sighed. "We could pretend we went out and got married today."  
  
He smiled. "I don't think they'll believe that."  
  
"Me neither, but we could try." She replied desperately.  
  
He laughed. "You missed me that much huh?"  
  
She nodded and closed her eyes.  
  
Gunn was advancing on Fred in her room. "Girl, Buffy and Cordelia both went to see their man last night, where was you?"  
  
"Charles, I didn't know they did that. If I'd have known I'd have come with them." She said softly, trying to pacify him.  
  
He grabbed her and they fell onto the bed together. "We'll just have to make up for lost time now."  
  
He leaned in to kiss her but she placed a finger on his lips. "How did you know they came across, I didn't."  
  
"I heard them. I got the two vamps on each side of me." He grinned wickedly. "The funny part was when Claire caught Angel and Barbie."  
  
Fred giggled. "Charles, you're a monster."  
  
He smiled and kissed her.  
  
"I was thinking." Cordelia informed Angel.  
  
"Uh oh." He replied teasingly.  
  
She slapped his chest. "I was thinking that maybe we don't have to wait until you've shanshued for us to get married."  
  
"You want to get married now?" He answered, opening his eyes.  
  
"Not now, maybe a few months, a year." She told him and propped herself up on her elbow. "There isn't really a reason for us to wait, is there?"  
  
"I guess not. I just thought you'd like to wait, so then you were marrying a human and not a vampire. And then you don't have to explain to your family why the ceremony is at night or why the groom doesn't have a last name."  
  
"Family? You think I'd invite family? AI and the Scoobies are my family. And I'm pretty sure all of them know you're a vampire." She smiled. "Why don't we? We already have a family."  
  
"We could." He supposed. "If you don't mind marrying a dead man."  
  
She slapped him again. "Don't say that. You're not dead; the man I saw this morning was dead."  
  
He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "Sorry baby, if you really want to then."  
  
A piercing scream cut into his words.  
  
"That sounded like Fred." Cordelia told him jumping off the bed and heading to the door,  
  
Angel hot on her heels.  
  
They opened her door to find a very naked Gunn comforting a half naked Fred.  
  
Cordelia laughed gleefully. "What's up Gunn? Your manly body scare her?"  
  
He looked at her in annoyance and covered himself. "Shut the door will you?"  
  
They stepped into the room and shut the door.  
  
"What happened?" Angel asked.  
  
"She saw a ghost in the mirror." Gunn answered for her.  
  
Cordelia went to sit on the side of the bed. "What did it look like?"  
  
"A little girl. She was holding her head in her hand and she was bleeding." Fred replied weakly, visibly shaken.  
  
Cordelia nodded and squeezed Fred's hand. "I'll get the book off Claire and then when you feel ready you can look and see if she's in there."  
  
Fred nodded.  
  
"We'll leave you to, uh, get sorted out." Angel said and left the room with Cordelia.  
  
When they were back in Cordelia's room he told her what he thought.  
  
"Three ghosts in one day, that's pretty extreme so we must be dealing with a lot of trapped spirits here. I think we're looking in the wrong direction. We need to look into the history of this place in the newspapers, see if there were any mass murders of unexplained deaths. Something must have happened for there to be so many ghosts. If we've seen three in one day we could see a hell of a lot more in a week."  
  
She nodded her agreement. "Why don't you tell Wes? I'll call Willow and ask her to research on the net for me."  
  
He nodded and kissed her goodbye.  
  
She picked up the phone and dialled the Hyperion's number. Tara answered and Cordelia quickly explained what she needed doing and then spoke to Connor for a couple of minutes before hanging up.  
  
When Angel came back into the room she was dressed for dinner and ready to leave the dank room.  
  
"Should I get changed?" He asked.  
  
She shook her head. "You look fine. Come on, I'm sick of this place."  
  
Seated around the dinner table Fred still looked shaken and rather pale.  
  
"Can I sleep with you tonight Cordy?" She asked when they'd finished eating.  
  
Cordelia nodded. "I was going to ask someone to sleep with me. The man this morning freaked me out too much to stay in there on my own."  
  
"Hey, I don't want to sleep on my own." Buffy interrupted.  
  
"Well, aren't you just the scardiest slayer I've ever seen." Cordelia taunted.  
  
Buffy glared at Cordelia. "Vampires and demons I can handle. But ghosts give me the wiggins."  
  
Cordelia smirked. "Do you want to come sleep on my floor?"  
  
"Why do I get the floor?" She complained.  
  
"Because Fred asked first." Cordelia replied simply.  
  
Angel leaned across to whisper in Cordelia's ear. "Any chance of you sneaking out tonight?"  
  
She laughed softly. "With Buffy and Fred on the lookout for ghosts I'm going to go with no. But I could go to the bathroom in about ten minutes if you want to go and ring Willow."  
  
He looked at her blankly.  
  
"Say you're going to ring Willow and I'll meet you in the bathroom in about ten minutes." She explained with a sigh.  
  
It clicked in his brain and he shot her a sheepish smile as he excused himself.  
  
Cordelia made aimless conversation with Lorne and Wes before heading to the bathroom.  
  
The only door closed had to be Angel so she tapped slightly and went in when he opened it.  
  
She stared at him, her eyes black with desire and then they lunged at each other in passion.  
  
He had just thrust in her when the door to the bathroom opened. Her eyes pleaded with him as he clamped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Ssh." He whispered.  
  
Lorne's voice could be easily recognised as he sang quietly.  
  
Her eyes were begging him to move. She wasn't bothered how he moved as long as he stopped torturing her.  
  
He quietly slipped a hand down her body to massage her pulsing nub. Her muscles were clenching around him and almost driving him mad with pleasure.  
  
She almost let out a groan as his fingers began to drive her over the edge.  
  
By the time Lorne had left they were both way out of control and began ravaging each other. 


	5. Chapter Five

Title: Family: On to LA  
  
Author: victoriamartynne  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
  
Spoilers: None, I think!  
  
Summary: Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale, Family: Forward to LA and Family: Return to Sunnydale. The Scoobies visit LA and a haunted house.  
  
They arrived back at the table looking slightly flushed. No one however mentioned it.  
  
"We were going to go to the bar down the street and have a few drinks." Buffy told tem. "Interested?"  
  
Cordelia nodded. "Sure, I'll have to change though."  
  
Buffy nodded. "Come on then."  
  
She, Cordelia and Fred stood up and went to get changed.  
  
Arriving back downstairs all three girls had pooled their efforts to make each other look ravishing.  
  
Fred wore a clingy back dress with a very low neckline. Buffy was wearing white pants with a silver chain mail top. Cordelia had borrowed Buffy's leather pants and teemed them with a black backless sheer top.  
  
Buffy had insisted that if they were to be sleeping together that night then they deserved to drive their men wild for a couple of hours, ghost free of course.  
  
Cordelia had to admit she felt a little sorry for Lorne and Wes who had only each other for company. It was times like this that she hoped they didn't get lonely.  
  
"Well, don't you look fine?" Spike commented as Buffy came up to him and draped an arm around his shoulders.  
  
Already in Angel's arms Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Fine? That's it?"  
  
Spike shot her a sour look.  
  
"Where is everyone else?" Fred asked, noticing the absence of her boyfriend.  
  
"They went on ahead, to get a table." Angel told her and held out an arm for her to take which she did gratefully.  
  
The bar was one of the techno places with bright lights and loud dance music.  
  
Lorne had chosen a table under a green light in the hope that no-one would notice he was green. It wasn't working. He had however danced with three women already and was working on a fourth.  
  
"How does he do it?" Buffy whispered to Cordelia.  
  
She shrugged and laughed.  
  
"Angel, honey, did you mean what you said earlier?" Cordelia asked, her eyes huge.  
  
"About getting married?" She nodded. "Of course I did."  
  
"Do you still mean it?" He nodded and squeezed her hand. "I want to."  
  
"When?" He asked, feeling excited.  
  
"I don't know. Sometime soon. It seems like the right time." She told him earnestly.  
  
"Pick a date baby." He whispered in her ear and kissed her neck gently. "And your wish is my command."  
  
"My Prince Charming." She murmured before her lips met his, oblivious to the amused looks they were receiving from Fred, Buffy and Wes. "How about we wait until the summer and get married on the Bluff at night? We can have candles and roses and birds chirping."  
  
He looked at her quizzically. "Where are you going to get the birds from?"  
  
She swatted him on the arm. "Fine, we'll have music playing instead of birds chirping. How does that sound?"  
  
"Perfect." He smiled. "What day?"  
  
"How about August ninth?" She suggested. "It was my mother's birthday; I think she'd have liked it."  
  
He kissed her forehead. "I think she'd have loved it, and I do too."  
  
She smiled. "Thank you."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"For making me so happy." She replied and leaned into his chest, letting him wrap his arms around her.  
  
"You two look like you're having an important conversation." Lorne interrupted their talk by sitting down at the table again.  
  
She turned to him and smiled. "We were actually."  
  
"Do we get to hear too? Or are you going to sing for me?" He teased.  
  
"We're getting married on August ninth." Cordelia said happily.  
  
"Congratulations!" Wes was the first to congratulate them but he was quickly followed by everyone else.  
  
Buffy leaned across to hug Cordelia tightly. "I'm so happy for you."  
  
"You promise to come to the wedding?"  
  
"No matter how many demons or vampires I have to kill." Buffy promised.  
  
"I'll get some more drinks in then." Spike told Angel and went to the bar.  
  
A couple of hours later a very tipsy Fred and a merry Wes led the gang back to the hotel.  
  
"Oh!" Fred exclaimed, suddenly realising something. "I can't go in there."  
  
"Why not?" Gunn asked patiently.  
  
"Aunt Claire and Uncle Al can't see me drunk, they'd be so disappointed." She giggled.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "You should have thought about that before the four strawberry daiquiris."  
  
Fred nodded animatedly.  
  
Spike was the one to roll his eyes this time and dropped Buffy's hand. He picked Fred up around the waist and slung her over his shoulder. Wes held Gunn back from clouting him as Spike entered the hotel.  
  
Everyone else followed him and they were soon at Cordelia's room where the girls were to be sleeping that night.  
  
Wes and Lorne headed off straight away and Angel offered to stand outside the bathroom door while Cordelia washed and changed. She accepted gratefully but whispered that he wouldn't be waiting outside.  
  
When Angel walked her back to the room he kissed her goodnight and left her with Buffy and Fred.  
  
"Do you think we can all fit in the bed?" She asked doubtfully when she saw Buffy and Fred lying on each side.  
  
"Sure." Buffy replied, patting the spot in between them. "Just enough space for you."  
  
"It's a good job I'm not pregnant anymore. I'd never fit in this gap, huh Fred?"  
  
All she received was snoring in response. "I guess the daiquiris took more out of her than we thought."  
  
Buffy laughed.  
  
Cordelia snuggled into the space into the bed and pulled the covers over her.  
  
"Night Buffy."  
  
Cordelia was awoken when Fred jumped out of bed and bolted out of the door. Cordelia swung her legs out of bed and followed her at a more sedate pace.  
  
She headed towards the bathroom, guessing correctly that that was where she was headed.  
  
She knocked on the locked door. "Fred honey, it's me."  
  
She heard nothing. "Fred?"  
  
She tried forcing the door but it was too strong.  
  
She went back into the bedroom and woke Buffy.  
  
"I think Fred might have passed out in the bathroom. I need you to force the door." She whispered.  
  
Buffy nodded, already wide awake.  
  
They made their way back to the bathroom and Buffy forced the door.  
  
"She's not here." Cordelia stated, puzzled.  
  
"Look." Buffy said and pointed with dread at specks of blood on the tiles. "We need to wake Wes."  
  
Cordelia nodded and they began to head down the hall.  
  
"She definitely went in there, she has to have." Cordelia insisted. "She'd drank too much and I bet she felt sick."  
  
"She could have been kidnapped." Buffy suggested.  
  
Cordelia shuddered. "Let's not talk about what could have happened."  
  
Buffy nodded and set off ahead of Cordelia down the hall.  
  
"Who should we wake?" She asked. "Angel, Wes or Gunn?"  
  
She turned around. "Cordelia?"  
  
The hall was empty.  
  
"What happened?" Angel growled.  
  
"I don't know. I turned around and she was gone." Buffy repeated for the third time. "Just like Fred was."  
  
"She can't have just disappeared." He insisted.  
  
"She did." Buffy insisted. "Fred was locked in the bathroom and when we forced the door it was empty. Cordelia was following me down the hall, I turned around and there was no-one there."  
  
"Then where the hell is she?" He shouted in frustration.  
  
Buffy burst into tears. "I don't know."  
  
Spike stepped forward and took her in his arms. "Hey, back off you big poof. Can't you see she doesn't know anything?"  
  
Angel ran a hand through his hair. "I know, I'm sorry, but where is she?"  
  
Wes and a very angry looking Gunn arrived back at Angel's room.  
  
"It's definitely new blood." Wes told them.  
  
"Of course it is." Buffy snapped. "If it had been old blood we'd have noticed it before."  
  
"Okay guys." Lorne interrupted. "We're getting a bit irate here. Maybe we should inform Claire and Al."  
  
Gunn nodded. "I'll do that."  
  
He left without saying anything else.  
  
"This isn't going to end well." Lorne murmured quietly so only Wes heard. He nodded in agreement.  
  
After searching the hotel until the early hours of the morning they eventually gave up in defeat.  
  
Spike had stood up to Claire and Al and Buffy was now in his room.  
  
Wes had woken Willow up and asked her to find a suitable locator spell in one of his books and call him to tell him how they could find Fred and Cordelia. Angel and Gunn had gone back to bed but neither slept.  
  
It was a long night.  
  
Cordelia struggled in the ropes that were holding her to a chair. Fred was across the room from her tied to a chair but was unconscious.  
  
She wasn't gagged but she'd tried screaming and no one had heard so she'd given that up.  
  
She didn't know what had grabbed her or where exactly it had taken her but she suspected that she was still in the hotel somewhere.  
  
Once Fred began to stir she'd ask her if she remembered anything.  
  
All she could think of was that it would seem weird for there to be demonic activity as well as ghost activity. But who'd ever heard of ghosts that kidnapped people? Then again, stranger things had happened.  
  
When Angel awoke he went straight to Wes's room to find out if he'd heard anything but found his room empty. By the time everyone else had arisen and met in the dining room downstairs it was obvious that he was missing. Spike and Angel had broken into his room and saw his things were scattered around, as if there had been a fight. Nothing else was amiss and the door had been locked.  
  
"What do we do now then?" Buffy asked the four remaining men.  
  
"Perhaps someone should call Willow and ask her to speed up the locator spell?" Lorne suggested.  
  
"Do that." Angel ordered. "I'm going down into the basement, that place was huge so there could be things that we missed before and."  
  
"Excuse me." Claire interrupted and handed him an envelope. "A fax this morning. I hope it helps you."  
  
He opened it and read it aloud. "I can't find a locator spell but I did find an article about the hotel from fifty years ago. A psycho escaped from an insane asylum and checked into the hotel for the weekend. By Sunday night three people were dead. A woman was burned with hot oil. A man was hung from the ceiling in his bathroom and a child was beheaded. If these fit the descriptions of the ghosts you've seen then the ghosts might want to trade essences with three humans and therefore have another chance at living. It has to be done in the building in which they were killed and the recipients must be the same sex but not the same age so it really could be anyone. I hope this helps, Willow."  
  
Buffy sighed. "Okay, so we need to find Wes, Cordy and Fred before the ghosts get the chance to swap essences. That means searching the hotel thoroughly."  
  
"I'll do the basement." Angel volunteered.  
  
"I'll take the attic." Spike offered.  
  
"That leaves me, Buffy and Lorne to search everywhere else." Gunn concluded.  
  
"Let's go then." Buffy finished. 


	6. Chapter Six

Title: Family: On to LA  
  
Author: victoriamartynne  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
  
Spoilers: None, I think!  
  
Summary: Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale, Family: Forward to LA and Family: Return to Sunnydale. The Scoobies visit LA and a haunted house.  
  
"Wesley?" Cordelia exclaimed in surprised. "What are you doing here? Where is here?"  
  
He squinted. "Cordelia?"  
  
"Yeah Wes it's me. What are you blind?"  
  
"I seem to have lost my glasses."  
  
"So, you didn't happen to see who took you here and where here is?"  
  
"I'm afraid not, is Fred here also?"  
  
"Yeah, she's unconscious but still breathing. And I gotta admit, I could really use the bathroom right now."  
  
He rolled his eyes at her. "I don't think that's number one priority right now."  
  
"Hey you've been here about a minute; I've been here all night. So, what's the plan?"  
  
"Are you tied up also?"  
  
She nodded but remembered e couldn't see and answered. "I've loosened the ropes slightly from last night so I might be able to get out soon if I keep working them."  
  
"Keep doing that." He advised. "You're the strongest of us."  
  
"What do we do? Just wait until something bad happens?" She asked in frustration, pulling at her ropes.  
  
"I'm afraid that's all we can do in the current situation." He admitted. "I do hope everyone else is alright."  
  
"Me too." She murmured.  
  
Everyone met in Spike's room after searching the hotel again. No-one had found anything. Buffy had spent half an hour comforting Claire, who was distraught at the thought of Fred being hurt. Al had decided to take matters into his own hands but had ended up pulling his back so was now bedridden.  
  
"What now?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I don't know." Angel admitted. "They can't have been taken outside the hotel as the ghosts need their bodies inside the hotel in order for the exchange of essences to take place. There could be a secret passage or a secret room I suppose."  
  
"But if it's secret then there's no way for us to find it." Lorne concluded grimly.  
  
"What's that up there?" Wes asked, looking up at the blurred ceiling.  
  
"It looks like a trap door." Cordelia told him. "Maybe that's how we were brought in here."  
  
"It has to lead somewhere." He mused. "I suppose all we can do is wait for them to find it and find us."  
  
Cordelia strained at her loosening bonds. "Cordelia Chase waits for no- one!" She cried triumphantly as the ropes slipped enough for her to wiggle out of.  
  
"Well done Cordelia!" Wes smiled.  
  
She stood up and stretched her weary limbs.  
  
"Do you want me to untie you?" She asked, eyeing the trap door. "Or get help?"  
  
He thought for a moment. "As tempting as being untied sounds I think it would be better if you found help. We certainly can't leave Fred here and I don't know about you but I don't think we can get her out of here on our own."  
  
She nodded. "Okay then, I'll go and find help and then I'll come back for you."  
  
He nodded. "Good plan. And for goodness' sake Cordelia, be careful."  
  
She went across to him and threw her arms around his neck in a hug he longed to return.  
  
"Stay safe." He replied, his voice gruff with emotion.  
  
She nodded and squeezed his shoulder.  
  
She turned to the trap door and focused her power. Slowly she began to levitate off the ground until she was able to open it. She released her power and landed back on the floor.  
  
"Here goes." She muttered.  
  
With a jump she grabbed hold of the sides of the trap door and pulled herself up in the air. Using her strength she pushed herself up through the hole until she could sit on the side of it with her legs dangling.  
  
"I'll be quick." She promised and then pulled her legs up through the hole and stood up.  
  
She looked around the room she was now in. It was dark and there were no windows. She could see a door in the corner of the room and headed towards it. Banging on it a few times she found it to be not that strong. She stood back and delivered a hard kick to the middle sending it crashing through. She went through cautiously and ran up the stairs on the other side. She found herself looking through glass at the top.  
  
"I'll contact Giles and see if he can suggest a spell we can do to somehow find them." Buffy decided, adding a little hope to their discussion. "And quickly."  
  
She got up from her seat in the lobby and went to the phone.  
  
Cordelia saw Buffy advancing the glass and banged on it with her fists. "Buffy!"  
  
She made no indication of hearing or seeing anything as she picked up the phone and dialled.  
  
"Why does this remind me of Scream 3?" Cordelia murmured to herself. "Buffy!"  
  
She felt a cold breeze rustle through her hair and she clamed a hand on it quickly.  
  
"Who's there?" She asked, her voice trembling. She pulled a face at her stupid-ness. "Yeah, 'cause a ghost is going to answer that."  
  
She spun around and tried to peer through the darkness.  
  
She turned back and saw Buffy doing her hair in the glass.  
  
I must be behind the mirror in the lobby, Cordelia decided.  
  
She banged on the glass again. "Buffy! For God's sake!"  
  
Suddenly a blinding pain shot through her back, spreading to her front and she was pressed to the glass. She felt wetness on her shirt. She gasped in pain, trying to breathe.  
  
"Oh God."  
  
"The ritual will take place." A voice hissed in her ear. "Whether you like it or not."  
  
Cordelia felt sweat break out on her forehead and upper lip. She felt around to her back and felt something sticking out of her. She grasped it with one hand and pulled it out with one tug. The pain she felt nearly sent her to the floor. She took a couple of deep breaths and looked through the glass, Buffy had gone. She raised the knife in the air and tried to ignore the wet stickiness of her blood on it. Gathering all of her demon strength she wiped her hair out of her eyes and then sent the knife through the glass. It shattered and sent her through it onto the lobby floor.  
  
The sound of glass shattering had the group in the lobby jumping up and running to see what had happened. Angel's dead heart seemed to jump into his heart and he dropped to his knees next to her.  
  
"Baby, are you okay? What happened?"  
  
"I escaped, you need to go through there and get Fred and Wes out. They're going to kill them." She murmured. "Go!"  
  
Spike and Gunn set off through the glass while Buffy, Angel and Lorne stayed with Cordelia.  
  
"We need to get you to hospital." Buffy told her.  
  
Cordelia shook her head. "No, I need to see if they're okay."  
  
Angel nodded. "We'll get them out and take you straight to the hospital. Spike and Gunn have gone to get them. Just take deep breaths." He advised. "It won't be long."  
  
He tried to ignore the feel of her blood coating his fingers.  
  
Gunn and Spike were thrown backwards. A force field was now surrounding the room Fred and Wesley were in.  
  
"What now?" Spike asked from his position on the floor.  
  
"We get Cordy out of here and then we break through the force field and get Fred and Wes out too. Then we exorcise these ghosts." Buffy said. "If Cordelia. well, if the worst comes to the worst and she's in the hotel then part of their ritual is complete."  
  
Cordelia smiled faintly. "I'm not going to die on you Buffy."  
  
"Of course you're not. I'm just being silly." Buffy agreed. "So, I think we need to get Willow and Tara down here to break the force field. I have Wes's spell in my room so I'll go and get that and we'll exorcise these sons of bitches and get us all out of this hell hole. Who's for my plan?"  
  
Cordelia raised her hand meekly.  
  
"Go get the spell." Gunn said. "I'll go pick up Willow and Tara, call them and tell them I'm coming."  
  
"Wait!" Angel objected. "What about Connor and Ashleigh? They can't come here."  
  
"I'll go back with Gunn and look after the bubs." Lorne offered and stood up.  
  
"Let's go." Gunn said and fished his car keys out of his pocket before setting off at a run to the hotel doors.  
  
Buffy ran down the hall to her room. Her hands shook slightly as she fumbled to get the key in the door.  
  
She swung the door open and screamed. Al was gutted on the bed, his blood coating the sheets and dripping off the edge of the bed.  
  
"Breathe, breathe." She urged herself over and over. "Get the spell and get yourself the hell away from this place."  
  
She found the piece of paper in her bag and ran out of the room and back to the lobby.  
  
"Al's dead." She announced as she got back to the others. "He's on my bed."  
  
Angel, Cordelia and Spike's faces showed shock and then sadness.  
  
"We need to get out of here." Spike repeated.  
  
Angel realised that Cordelia was shivering. "Help me lift her?" He asked Buffy.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked groggily.  
  
"Just getting you off the floor chit, then you won't be as cold." Spike told her.  
  
She nodded and closed her eyes.  
  
"Open your eyes." Angel ordered. "Stay with me."  
  
Her eyes flickered open and she focused on his face. "Always."  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Title: Family: On to LA  
  
Author: victoriamartynne  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
  
Spoilers: None, I think!  
  
Summary: Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale, Family: Forward to LA and Family: Return to Sunnydale. The Scoobies visit LA and a haunted house.  
  
A loud banging upstairs startled them out of their silence.  
  
"What the bloody hell was that?" Spike asked, more to himself than anyone else.  
  
"Go check it out." Angel ordered. "I'll stay here with Cordy."  
  
"Come on, I'll come with you." Buffy offered and stood up. "I don't think we should split up."  
  
Cordelia turned her head and watched as they left the lobby.  
  
"How are you feeling?" He asked.  
  
"It's still hurting but I think the blood's slowing."  
  
"You don't feel sick?"  
  
"A little." She admitted.  
  
"You should have let me take you to the hospital." He reproached her.  
  
She shrugged. "I need to see that they get out okay. Fred was unconscious when I left but Wes was awake. If she'd been awake then we could have all gotten out."  
  
He nodded and squeezed her cold fingers under his coat that he'd thrown over her in an attempt to keep her warm.  
  
"We should get the other guests out of here." Cordelia suddenly thought.  
  
He laid a restraining hand on her arm. "It's okay, while you were downstairs Claire and Al got everyone out." He suddenly thought of something. "If Buffy saw Al then where is Claire?"  
  
Cordelia looked at him through glassy eyes. "I don't know."  
  
Spike and Buffy came running down the stairs.  
  
"We found Claire." Spike announced, holding up a faint looking Buffy.  
  
"Where is she? Is she okay?" Cordelia asked, worried.  
  
"That banging we heard? That was a ghost knocking Claire's bloody head into the wall." Spike informed them, rubbing Buffy's back. "And yes, she was already dead before we got up there."  
  
Cordelia swallowed bile that was rising in her throat. "So, if they're killing people at random instead of the people chosen for the ritual, then what are they doing to Fred and Wes?"  
  
An idea clicked into Buffy's brain and her head shot up. "They've changed their choices."  
  
"What?" Cordelia asked, confused.  
  
"You're not dead so they killed Claire." She told them.  
  
"But why kill Al unless." Angel's voice drifted off.  
  
"The English ponce has escaped." Spike finished.  
  
Wes was scared, for the first time in a long while he was scared for himself. And for Fred. He didn't want to leave her. He'd been in the middle of untying her when one of the ghosts had thrown him against a wall. He'd gotten himself up the trap door that Cordelia had used and was running. He had no idea which way Cordelia had gone. All he could see at the top of the stairs was a wooden wall. He'd followed that down until he'd reached a door.  
  
Opening it he jumped when it creaked.  
  
He peered around the door and entered the brightly lit room. At the other end was a door.  
  
This also creaked when it opened.  
  
"Relax Wes, think rogue demon hunter." He urged himself.  
  
Behind the other door was the upstairs corridor.  
  
"Thank God." He murmured and set off at a run.  
  
"Do you think Fred is okay?" Cordelia asked.  
  
Angel squeezed her fingers. "I'm sure she's fine."  
  
"I shouldn't have left them." She voiced her feelings of guilt.  
  
"Don't think that." Buffy told her. "If you hadn't escaped then you could be dead right now. You did the right thing."  
  
She nodded but didn't look altogether convinced.  
  
"You look pale." Angel told her, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Are you still in a lot of pain?"  
  
She nodded. "A little, mostly I just feel faint."  
  
"That'll be the blood loss." Spike told her and pulled a small whiskey bottle out of his coat. "Here, have a nip of this."  
  
Angel held her head up so she could take a sip of the liquid. She pulled a face. "Could you have bought a cheaper bottle?"  
  
He shrugged. "Gets the job done."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"We're here!" Willow announced as she, Tara and Gunn entered the hotel.  
  
Buffy and Spike stood up. "Have you got he spell?" She asked.  
  
Willow nodded.  
  
"Let's do it then." Buffy replied and pointed to the broken mirror.  
  
Willow and Tara stepped forward ready to do their spell. Gunn waited pensively as they began chanting.  
  
"What are we doing?" Wes asked Angel and Cordelia.  
  
Her head shot up and she winced in pain. "Wes, thank God!"  
  
She held lout her arms for him to lean down and hug her.  
  
"What happened to you?" He asked.  
  
"One of the ghosts stabbed her." Angel answered. "Good to see you Wes."  
  
Wes smiled. "What about Fred?"  
  
"That's what they're doing now." Angel told him. "The ghosts built a force field around the room, Fred's still in there."  
  
"Claire and Al are dead." Cordelia added. "They killed them instead of us two. Fred would make the third."  
  
Wes's face was grim. "I shouldn't have left her."  
  
"That's what I said." Cordelia smiled faintly.  
  
Wes gripped her hand tightly in his. "She'll be okay, she has to be."  
  
The force field was lifted and Gunn rushed straight in.  
  
He came out carrying a comatose Fred. Her eyes were puffed up and her lip was split.  
  
"Is she..?" Cordelia's voice faded as she strained to catch a glimpse of Fred.  
  
"No." Angel reassured her. "I can hear her heart."  
  
Gunn lay her down on the couch opposite Cordy and tried talking to her.  
  
Upon further inspection it was obvious her arm was broken and perhaps a couple of ribs.  
  
"Baby, we're getting you out of here." Gunn promised her and scooped her back up.  
  
"I'll get the door." Spike offered and led Gunn to the doors.  
  
Angel began to pick Cordelia up too but was stopped as Spike was thrown backwards from the door. Buffy rushed forwards to help him up.  
  
"They've created another force field." Cordelia gasped from the pain of Angel moving her. "We're trapped."  
  
"Okay, we just need to think." Buffy shouted above the din the ghosts were making.  
  
Wind was rushing around the lobby and objects and furniture were being flung around.  
  
"Will, can you break the new force field?"  
  
"I don't think so." She stuttered. "It's too strong."  
  
"Well, if we can't break the force field we have to get the ghosts, right?" Spike said logically. "You got the exorcising spell?"  
  
Buffy pulled the spell out of her pocket and gave it to Tara. "Can you do it?"  
  
She nodded. "I think so."  
  
Wes got up and sat in the circle with Willow and Tara. "We need another person."  
  
Buffy and Spike looked at each other and then she answered. "I'll do it."  
  
She sat down crossed legged in between Wes and Willow.  
  
Willow pointed out the words and the four of them began to chant in Latin.  
  
A horrendous scream echoed through the lobby as the ghosts realised what they were doing.  
  
"Keep going." Wes urged and they started chanting again.  
  
One of the tables in the lobby was flung at them but it missed by centimetres.  
  
"Keep going." Cordelia murmured.  
  
The glass in the windows suddenly shattered and Angel flung himself in front of Cordelia to shield her.  
  
Wes and Tara were stuck with pieces of glass but they continued to chant.  
  
The ghosts screamed horribly again.  
  
"It's working." Gunn said in amazement, still holding an unconscious Fred. "The force field's weakening."  
  
"Keep going." Wes urged again.  
  
The chanting continued and the ghosts started to materialise.  
  
Cordelia jumped as the burned woman appeared next to her on the couch. She let out a curse.  
  
The man appeared in the middle of the circle and the beheaded girl appeared in the corner.  
  
They began chanting louder, as if shouting at the ghosts.  
  
Cordelia turned white as the girl dropped her head and it rolled across the floor before it and she disappeared with a scream. Cordelia fainted.  
  
The woman was the next to disappear and Gunn could have sworn he could smell burned flesh as she did. The man was the last to disappear. He brought about a mini tornado, sending books and tables and chairs swirling before disappearing and sending them crashing to the floor.  
  
Buffy let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God that's over. Now, can we get out of here?"  
  
Gunn barged through the door with Fred, intent on getting her to a hospital. Angel picked up Cordelia, Buffy and Wes close behind, leaving Spike to pick himself up off the floor, from under a table and follow, swearing under his breath at the ghosts who had just been exorcised.  
  
Fred was stirring by the time Gunn had her in his truck, perhaps due to the cold outside.  
  
Cordelia, however, stayed fainted. Wes was looking a bit worse for wear as was Tara who was covered in shards of glass.  
  
When they got to the hospital Fred was moaning in pain and crying softly.  
  
Cordelia was taken to surgery where she was stitched up internally and superficially.  
  
Luckily the blade had missed her kidneys so there was minimal damage.  
  
Fred had her arm put in plaster and had her ribs strapped. She had no cuts on her just bruises so Gunn could take her straight home. Wes went with them leaving Willow and Tara with Angel, who was waiting for Cordelia to come out of the operating room.  
  
"I wish I could count on one hand the number of times I've sat here waiting for her." Angel said wryly to Willow as they sat in the waiting room together while Cordelia and Tara were being treated.  
  
"You've waited here often?"  
  
He nodded and smiled slightly. "Well, there was the time the visions drove her insane and she ended up in the psychiatric ward. A couple of years ago she fell down the stairs and twisted her ankle and Wes insisted that she get an x-ray. She got food poisoning a while back and ended up here because we thought she might be really ill. Then there was when she was knocked down and had Ashleigh. And then there's now."  
  
"And she was in hospital in Sunnydale that one time." Willow added.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"When she fell through the stairs at the old factory and got a rebar through her side." Willow reminded him, guilt niggling in the back of her mind.  
  
Angel nodded. "Her waist is going to look like a dot to dot if she doesn't start being careful."  
  
Willow laughed. "That's true."  
  
His reply was cut off as Tara joined them.  
  
"Are you okay?" Willow asked and put her arm around her girlfriend.  
  
She nodded.  
  
Angel stood up also and gave Willow his car keys. "Here, get yourselves home, I'll be okay here. I'm getting used to this place."  
  
She smiled gratefully and began leading Tara down the hall.  
  
A couple of hours later Angel was taken to see Cordelia, who had just woken up from the anaesthetic.  
  
"We're going to have to stop meeting like this." She joked, her voice hoarse.  
  
He sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "Yes we are." He told her seriously.  
  
She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."  
  
"No, it wasn't your fault." He admitted and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll just have to keep a better watch over you."  
  
She rolled her eyes but kept quiet.  
  
"I mean, I do want you to be alive at our wedding on August ninth."  
  
A smile lit up her face. "August ninth?"  
  
He nodded. "That's what we agreed on, right?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, my mother's birthday. So, you really want to go through with it? I can start planning?"  
  
He nodded and kissed her fingers. "Of course I want to go through with it baby. I love you and I've never been as scared as I was tonight when you fell through that mirror. I thought you were dead." He admitted and swallowed back a lump in his throat.  
  
"I wouldn't die on you honey, I'm invincible." She said lightly in response.  
  
He shook his head slowly. "No, you're not. How did you get caught anyway?"  
  
"I was running down the hall after Buffy and I was grabbed from behind. They covered my eyes so I couldn't see where I was going. I was tied to a chair in a room behind the mirror in the lobby. Fred was there and then Wes came in too." She explained.  
  
He nodded and sensed she was tired. "Get some rest now, and then you can come home."  
  
"I'm coming home tomorrow." She insisted as her eyes closed.  
  
"Of course you are sweetheart." He replied and kissed her lips gently.  
  
"I am." She murmured but drifted off to sleep before he could respond.  
  
True to her word Cordelia came home the next night. Angel picked her up from the hotel and insisted on carrying her in the hotel.  
  
"Hi guys!" She exclaimed as they came in through the doors. "Miss me?"  
  
Buffy came across to hug her as soon as Angel had put her down on the couch. "I'm so glad you're okay."  
  
Cordelia hugged her back. "Me too."  
  
Cordelia settled herself against the cushions and then smiled when she saw Connor tottering from behind the counter. "Hey little guy!"  
  
He came across to her and rested his head on her side. "Mommy missed you."  
  
Lorne came from behind the counter with Ashleigh.  
  
"Hi baby!" She cooed and held Ashleigh's hand for a moment. "Mommy missed you too. Did you have fun with Auntie Willow and Auntie Tara?"  
  
She turned to them. "Thanks for looking after them this week, you were Godsends."  
  
Willow smiled. "We enjoyed it."  
  
"Well, except for all the dirty nappies and waking us up in the middle of the night." Tara added. "But everything else was fun."  
  
Cordelia stroked Connor's downy hair absentmindly. "I won't leave you again honey, I promise."  
  
As though he knew what she was saying he looked up and smiled at her.  
  
Fred came out of the office, Gunn following closely behind her. Seeing her hold her ribs with her good arm brought tears to Cordelia's eyes.  
  
"Fred."  
  
Fred smiled at her.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Fred waved her hand at her. "No, you did the right thing, and you paid for it. I don't blame you. It could have been a lot worse, for all three of us." She glanced at Wes who was keeping a low profile in the corner with Spike, still feeling slightly guilty about letting Fred and Cordelia get hurt although they both insisted that they didn't blame him.  
  
"Still, I'm sorry."  
  
Fred smiled at her again.  
  
Angel came to sit next to Cordelia. "I guess this is where we get back to normal."  
  
Spike, Buffy, Willow and Tara went back to LA a couple of days later.  
  
Fred moved in with Gunn so that he could take care of her.  
  
Cordelia recovered fast from her injury, probably due to the demon in her. Within a week she was walking properly and could carry Ashleigh or Connor without testing her wound. The stitches were taken out and she was fine.  
  
Cordelia and Angel both enjoyed living in the hotel on their own. It gave them a sense of having their own house where they could live together like a proper family, when they weren't demon fighting of course. They had more privacy and room to be like they wanted with each other without having to worry about Fred or Gunn catching them. It was nice.  
  
Cordelia walked down the stairs early the next Saturday with Ashleigh. She was humming a song she'd heard on the radio the night before. She went in the kitchen to get Ashleigh's bottle and then went to sit on the couch to feed her. She stopped in her tracks.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
The End 


End file.
